Himalayan balsam, a native plant of Northeast Asia, is now a big problem in the UK. It prevents our native plants, eg. poppies, cranesbill and meadowsweet from growing by shading them out. It is our largest annual flowering plant (meaning it completes its life cycle in one year) and each plant can produce 2,500 seeds, causing rapid spread. Because all plants die in the autumn it can leave bare earth which is vulnerable to erosion, especially on stream and river banks.
This is what we do with the balsam.
Each summer we go out as a group balsam bashing. We pull the balsam out of the ground with its roots and then crush them. Hence the nick name ‘balsam bashing!’
Want to find out more about Himalayan balsam?
The Welsh Government have a good information sheet. Go to the gov.wales website – Himalayan balsam public information on control of invasive species.
Various trials are going on around the country to find out different ways to deal with this problem, we hope that someone finds an answer soon!
